T+L Reports: Detroit: Rust-Belt Chic

Say nice things about Detroit! was long the city's earnest slogan. But until recently, there was little to get excited about beyond cars and music. With the opening of diminutive department store Julian Scott (151 W. Fort St.; 313/965-5200), however, downtown Motor City has been introduced to haute-everything, from couture furs to animal-print purses. Housed in a Neoclassical bank designed by McKim, Mead & White, the store serves free martinis in the marble lounge on Friday evenings. Up the street at Rodeo Drive (301 W. Fort St.; 313/961-0129), accessories like Gucci sunglasses and handbags fashioned from Women's Wear Daily pages are sold in a light-filled jewel box. A young crowd dresses down in city-themed hoodies and trucker hats from Made in Detroit (400 Monroe St., Ste. 140; 313/963-6080). Nearby Pewabic Pottery (10125 E. Jefferson Ave.; 313/822-0954) still creates the Arts and Crafts-style ceramics that have been the definitive markers of good taste for the Bloomfield Hills smart set since 1903.
—Michael Hodges